Strange Encounters
by Smeagolia
Summary: Even as an eight-year-old, Shadowhunter blood runs strong through Clary Fray's veins, and Jocelyn struggles to keep her daughter and the Shadow World apart.


"Clary, what are you doing?" Jocelyn raised an eyebrow at her eight-year-old daughter, who had parked herself on the floor in the middle of the hallway, facing the front door.

"Waiting for Simon," she replied without turning to look at Jocelyn. "He better get here soon or else we'll miss trick-or-treating!"

Clary was wearing in an elegant black dress and a flowing red cape, secured at the throat with a bat-shaped brooch. Heavy eyeliner framed her green eyes, making them appear even brighter than usual. Clary's lips were stained a dark red, the lipstick smeared slightly on her chin to look like blood dribbling from her mouth. In her hand were plastic fangs, which would be fitted over her teeth as soon as Simon arrived.

Jocelyn sighed at the sight of her daughter dressed up as a little vampire. She still wasn't too excited that this is what Clary had chosen to be for Halloween.

"Why don't you be a princess, or maybe a witch?" Jocelyn had suggested a week before when she heard Clary's plans. But her attempts were futile. Even as an eight-year-old, when Clary made up her mind, she stuck to her decision.

Jocelyn told herself there was no real harm in her daughter's costume choice. Every kid dressed up as a vampire at one time or another, didn't they? Despite the facts, Clary's costume continued to be a constant reminder of the vampires in the world Jocelyn had spent years struggling to escape.

"Simon's here, he's here!" Clary screeched and pulled open the front door.

"Clary, you know only Luke and I are allowed to get the door."

"Sorry." Clary said, not sounding very sorry at all.

Simon crossed over the threshold, followed by his mother. Simon was dressed in a black tuxedo splattered here and there with red droplets, and he wore a cape and fake blood on his chin like Clary. Jocelyn had to admit it was kind of cute how their costumes matched, even if they were dressed up as Downworlders.

"Simon! Go back outside! Vampires can't come inside a house without being invited, remember?" Clary scolded lightheartedly. Simon laughed and stepped back outside their apartment, closing the door behind him. A couple seconds later, there was a knock on the door. Clary pulled it open, giggling.

"May I be granted enzrance into your vonderful home?" Simon said in a phony accent, trying not to grin.

Clary laughed and stepped aside, sweeping her arm out. "Of course! Za company of a fellow vampire is alvays velcome." The two mini vampires dissolved into giggles.

"Okay, you two, ready to go trick-or-treating?" Jocelyn asked, holding up two plastic jack-o-lantern shaped buckets for collecting candy.

"I am!" Clary said and put in her plastic fangs. She turned to Simon. "Where are you fangs?" She asked, struggling to speak around the lump of plastic in her mouth.

Simon shrugged. "I left mine at home. For some reason they make my mouth fill with drool."

"Luke! The kids are ready to go now!" Jocelyn called and Clary groaned.

"Does Luke have to come? All of my friends trick-or-treat by themselves! Simon and I would be safe, we wouldn't leave the apartment or anything." Clary whined.

Jocelyn sighed and ran a hand through her curls. "I don't know - " What if they run into a real vampire? Or a demon? Or, or -

"Come on Jocelyn, what's the worst that could happen? As long as they stay in the apartment, I'm fine with it." Simon's mother said, ruffling her son's hair, much to his annoyance.

Jocelyn ran her hand through her hair again before reluctantly nodding in agreement. What else could she say? She couldn't exactly explain to these mundanes that she was worried demon hunters would abduct her daughter.

"Yay!" Clary and Simon cried in unison.

"Thanks, mom!" Clary said, and grabbed Simon's wrist, pulling him after her.

Jocelyn watched her daughter set out into the world with only some fake vampire fangs as protection. Jocelyn shook her head to herself. She was being overdramatic. It was only for an hour or two. What's the worse that could happen?

"I think it would be cool to be a real vampire, don't you, Simon?" Clary asked as they strolled down the hallway, waving to an Incredible Hulk as they passed.

"I don't think so. I wouldn't want to be one." Simon answered while unwrapping a piece of candy.

"Why not? You would have super speed and you would be super strong and you could live forever! Adults are always complaining about getting old, but if we were vampires we would be young forever!" Clary said, and Simon shrugged.

"True, but you would never be able to go into the sunlight ever again, and you would have to drink blood." He made a face at "blood."

"So? Maybe when you're a vampire it tastes good. Like apple juice." Clary replied.

"I don't know, personally I think it would taste more like cherry Kool-Aid." Simon said, dropping his serious tone.

"Or maybe ketchup!" Clary grinned, poking his arm playfully.

"That's gross. Who would want to drink ketchup?" Simon laughed, poking her back.

"Didn't you do that once when - " Clary cut off mid-sentence, her wide-eyed gaze fixed on something further down the hall, where the elevator was. "Did you see that?" She whispered urgently to Simon.

Simon craned his neck to see down the hallway, but it was empty except for them. "See what?"

"That thing that just went into the elevator!" Clary hissed, and started down the hall..

"Clary, what are you talking about? Someone's dog just went in there, but I wouldn't exactly describe it as a _thing_ - "

"That wasn't a dog! I know what I saw, Simon. It was this gross gray color and it had these tentacles that were dragging on the ground and - "

Simon's frightened face relaxed and he let out a forced laugh. "Okay, Clary. Whatever you say."

Clary grabbed his arm and pulled him after her. A couple of pieces of candy fell from his bucket. Simon glanced back at them longingly.

"You've got to believe me!" She cried.

"I know you're just trying to scare me. You're probably trying to get revenge on me for what I did last Halloween. Remember, with the spider - "

Clary glared at him. "I'm not trying to scare you and this isn't for revenge!"

Simon raised an eyebrow at her.

"Okay, I'll admit I did have something planned to get you back, but I swear this isn't it! Please, Simon?" Clary cried.

Simon thought about it for a moment before shrugging. "Mysteries are always fun on Halloween night, especially if it's about creepy slimy monsters with tentacles that may or may not just be dogs. I don't know if we'll really find anything, but I'll go with you if you want to try to follow it."

Clary grinned and slipped her hand into his. "Okay! Who knows, maybe we'll find out that the apartment is haunted."

"Maybe it's haunted by a real vampire." Simon speculated as they walked. "A vampire who's thirsty for blood, and he sends his minions to roam the apartment and bring him back every juicy kid they can find."

Clary raised an eyebrow at her friend, but she was smiling nonetheless. She jabbed the elevator button and bounced impatiently on the balls of her feet.

" - Do you think we should have brought some onions or something?" Simon was saying as the door slid open.

"I'm pretty sure it's garlic." Clary said, glancing back at him. Her carefree smile dissolved when she saw his paled skin and fear filled eyes. His grip on her hand had tightened so much his knuckled were white, and his lips were moving in a silent whimper.

Clary turned back to the elevator to see what had scared Simon. The creature she had seen before was crouched in the corner of the elevator, it's hackles raised and it's lip curled into a snarl. It was about the size of a small dog, but that's about where the similarities ended. This thing was covered in oozing welts, and sort of resembled a maggot. It didn't appear to have any eyes, ears, or nose, but did have a gaping mouth filled with rows of serrated teeth. It stood on six glistening tentacles, each one lined with suckers. Six more tentacles dragged behind it on the floor. Clary wasn't an expert on animal behavior, but it was clear even to her that this thing was planning on attacking.

"Back away slowly, don't make eye contact, don't make any sudden movements, don't do anything that will make you look like a steak, try not to look threatening." Simon was muttering, and began to step carefully backwards. Clary followed suit, murmuring quietly to Simon as she went.

"Eyes? What eyes? What is this thing, Simon?"

"This isn't really the time for an argument about your sanity, but I have no idea what you're talking about. It's a dog, Clary. Of course it has eyes." Simon answered without taking his eyes off of the thing in front of them.

"Have you lost your mind? That is most definitely NOT a dog!" Clary hissed, her voice rising a bit too loud.

The creature let out an unearthly howl like nothing Clary had ever heard before. It jumped towards them on tentacle feet, mouth wide and teeth glinting in the dim light of the hallway. Clary stole a glance behind them, but there was no one to help.

"Forget slowly, RUN!" Simon shouted and took off, pulling Clary after him.

They tore down the hallway, running faster than either had ever before. Clary was suddenly struck by the memory of their gym teacher yelling at them to go faster when they'd been running the track in class. The only difference between then and now was that this time, it wasn't their grades at sake, but their lives.

Clary could feel the monster snapped at their heels, and she stumbled when something sharp and burning hot caught hold of her ankle. "SIMON!" She screamed as she went down.

The creature reared up over her, it's tentacles flailing. She tried to get up, but her ankle wouldn't take any weight. Clary squeezed her eyes closed and cried out in pain when she felt something wrap around her wounded ankle and yank hard on it. She opened her eyes long enough to watch the creature jump onto her chest, knocking the air out of her, before Clary closed her eyes again. A second something wrapped around her throat, and her bat shaped brooch dug into her skin.

_This is it,_ Clary thought. _I'm going to die now. I'll never get to eat my Halloween candy or take my math test or go to middle school. I'll never see Simon or mom or Luke ever again.  
_  
Suddenly there was a sickly THWACK. The creature's grip on Clary's throat loosened enough for her to pull away. She looked up through the black dots that clouded her vision to see Simon standing over the creature, his Halloween candy bucket held threatening over his head. He brought it down a second time on the beast's head, a half frightened, half determined look on his face.

"Go get help!" Simon yelled between whacks.

"I can't leave you!" Clary cried, struggling to stand. She could feel bruises on her throat, and her ankle was swollen and bleeding.

The creature jumped out of the way of Simon's bucket with a hiss. Simon's blows didn't seem to be doing any real damage, they were just annoying it. The beast leapt into the air, landing squarely on Simon's chest, knocking him to the ground. Tentacles snaked across Simon's struggling body, wrapping around his arms and legs.

Clary screamed as it reached for his throat. She tried to pull the creature off of him, but her skin burned wherever she touched its welts. A tentacle released Simon long enough to whip her across the face. Clary cried out in pain as she was thrown across the floor.

"Simon..." She sobbed, her ankle throbbing with each beat of her heart. She threw a handful of fallen candy at the monster in a feeble attempt to save Simon, but the candy bounced uselessly off of it. Clary squeezed her eyes shut. She could feel hot tears sliding down her cheeks. She really was going to die, and Simon too.

A horrible shriek ripped through the air, and the smell of burning hair bit at Clary's nose. She dared to open her eyes, not knowing whether the animal-like scream had been Simon's or the creature's.

The monster scrambled off of Simon's chest, squealing and thrashing. Simon reached for his chest, and for a moment Clary worried that he was hurt. To her relief and surprise, Simon's fingers wrapped around a necklace he's been wearing as part of his costume, which he pulled over his head. The creature hissed at the sight of the cross shaped pendant hanging on the end.

Simon pushed himself to his feet, swinging the necklace towards the creature cowering in front of him. Wherever the cross made contact, there was a hiss like something burning and the monster would let out an unearthly scream.

With one last swing, the monster dissolved into a cloud of black dust that disappeared into the air before it hit the ground. Clary struggled to stand up, and Simon came to her side to help her. They stood staring at the spot where the creature stood, both of their minds replaying the events that had unfolded.

Clary felt tears leaking from her eyes, and she buried her face in Simon's chest. His arms went around her, and she could feel his body shaking. Clary hated to admit it, but it scared her how close they had come to death.

She hugged Simon tighter.

Jocelyn charged down the hall, a steak knife from the kitchen hidden beneath her jacket and Luke at her heels. They'd been handing out candy to a couple kids dressed as princesses when the screams rang out from the floor below. Jocelyn had known it had to do with Clary.

She turned the corner, skidding to a stop when she saw her daughter and her friend. They were holding on to each other tightly, surrounded by spilled candy, abandoned Halloween buckets, small splatters of blood, and a necklace.

Jocelyn looked up when the elevator door slid open and a small group of people stepped out, made up of a police officer, the building manager, and an elderly woman wearing hair curlers. The woman stepped forward, her wrinkled face creased with worry and fear.

"What happened? I heard these horrible noises so I called the police and the building manager. Has anyone been hurt?"

Jocelyn and Luke were too busy trying to pull Clary and Simon apart to respond. The two wouldn't let go if each other, and insisted on holding hands all the way up to their apartment.

A couple hours later, they lay sleeping side by side on Clary's bed. Clary's ankle was wrapped in bandages, and Simon had a couple band-aids scattered on his arms and legs. His glasses were on the side table, and one of the lenses was broken.

Jocelyn sighed and turned away. They'd told the police and everyone else that it was a rabid dog - which Clary insisted on denying. Jocelyn would take her to Magnus's tomorrow.

Jocelyn crept into her room, cringing when the floorboards creaked beneath her foot. Clary and Simon had had a long day and she didn't want to wake them. Jocelyn pulled a ratty cardboard box from the depths of her closet. She pulled off the lid, coughing a little at the dust that billowed into the air.

Black shadowhunter gear. A clearish-white sword and a round stone, both covered in swirling black Runes. A wand-like stick. On top of it all, an ornate wooden box, carved with the letters _JC_.

Jocelyn ran her finger lightly along the blade of the sword, wincing as it sliced her skin. Despite the uncomfortable sting, the pain cleared her mind. Rolling back her shoulders, Jocelyn's face hardened as she closed the box and shoved it back where it came from.

Clary could live a normal life. Clary _would_ live a normal life.

Or at least, that's what Jocelyn tried to convince herself.

Clary turned over in bed. She couldn't fall asleep. How could anyone fall asleep after being attacked by a monster from another world? Not her, that's for sure.

She looked over a Simon, who had his eyes closed and was breathing deeply. She knew him well enough to know he was awake.

"What are you thinking about?" Clary whispered.

"How I could have lost you today." Simon answered without missing a beat. He flipped on his side to face her. Clary's eyes traced the planes and angles of his face, the face she'd known almost her whole life.

"You won't ever lose me." She said, then in an attempt to lighten the mood she added, "I'm going to stick to you like one of those annoying spiky seeds that gets caught on your clothing."

Simon smiled tightly, but didn't answer. He had a bruise on his jaw, Clary noticed with tear filled eyes. A bruise he had received trying to protect _her_.

"I love you, Simon. You know that, right?"

Simon hugged her. "I know. I love you too, Clary."

"Never ever forget me, okay? Will you be my friend forever?" Clary asked, her eyes glistening in the dim light.

"Of course I won't forget you." Simon said, squeezing her tighter. "You're Clary. You're my best friend."

In that moment Clary knew that what happened today would happen again. She didn't completely understand what was going on, but she knew she'd never be safe from the world that creature came from. But she also knew that whatever happened, Simon would be there with her.


End file.
